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Brayden woke up to find Willow draped over him. One of his arms was tightly wrapped around her, the other flung out across the bed. Her head on his broad chest, one hand wrapped around his bicep, was how they slept most nights. Except this would be the last time. His chest tightened while he stared coldly at the ceiling.
He’d heard Willow opening the jewelry box and had squeezed his eyes shut. He’d waited for her to throw it across the room in yet another act of rejection. Instead, he’d heard her tears, and they had clawed at his heart. Without thinking, his body had climbed out of bed and gone to her. She hadn’t turned him away.
For a moment, he thought he’d seen a shift in her beautiful eyes, one that looked like acceptance and love, but he was in too much pain to trust blindly. He would continue with her plans. Any moment now, Craig would alert them, and he would remove her memories.
His chest heaved, and his little human stirred, eyelids fluttering open while she shifted to look at him. Tears formed and began flowing down her cheeks onto his chest. He ran a hand over her hair and kissed her head. Despite the growing pain and darkness that threatened to overtake him, he still felt the need to comfort her. Even in the face of her painful rejection.
“I love you.” Her words startled him.
“Willow.”
“It’s okay. I understand if you don’t feel the same way after I chose to leave.”
He sat up, clutching her arms. Did he dare believe?
“Willow. I love you. Now and always.” His lips pressed against hers. As her hands squeezed his arms in response, he took a risk and plunged his tongue desperately into hers. She opened and welcomed him inside.
He hardened.
“I need you,” he said against her lips, and nearly cried when she nodded.
Reaching down, he placed her legs on either side of his large hips then found her core. His fingers pushed through her delicate flesh, groaning when he felt her wet. Gripping his cock, he wasted no time. He pushed as Willow pressed, and together, they moaned into each other’s mouths.
“Fuck, Willow, you are mine.”
Soon they found a smooth rhythm, and Willow began to ride him. She half sat up, giving him access to her breasts. He sucked one nipple and she threw her head back.
“Bray, fuck me, Bray, please.”
Hell yes, he would. Flipping them, he placed her under him and pushed her legs up to her shoulders.
“Take all of me, Willow.” He pressed in balls deep, thrusting again and again while his mate cried out.
He slid a hand in between them and rubbed her clit, taking her cry to a scream. Her pussy tightened around his cock, and his seed released in a powerful explosion that ran through his entire body.
Brayden released her legs but stayed inside her while she panted. He took her face in one of his hands and kissed her lips. “Forever, Willow. Even when you no longer remember me, you will always be my only love.”
She burst into tears.
He slipped out of her and pulled her into his arms, his cum spilling between them but he couldn’t give a shit.
“Hey. It’s okay.” It really fucking wasn’t. He shouldn’t have said that, but goddamn, he needed to have his moment to love her one last time and say how he felt. Then, when he knew she was okay, he could let go and slip into the darkness.
If only he could keep her here in his arms forever. Yes, he could, but he loved her too much to take away her choice. He would never do what his father had done. He would never watch his mate stare upon him with disgust. He’d seen enough of it today. It was as bad as he’d imagined.
“I don’t think I can do it,” Willow said.
“You don’t have to do anything, sweetheart. You’ll be home soon, in your new home in Hawaii, and remember nothing.”
She pulled away from him. “No. I mean I don’t think I can leave you!”
Oh.
What the fuck.
“Please don’t play with me, Willow. This is killing me.”
She gripped his face in her hands. “Brayden, I’m not playing games. I love you. I want you in my life, but I’m so fucking terrified.”
He could hear her heart thumping loudly inside her chest while his own head was trying to make sense of her words.
What was she saying?
The only way he could take the fear away from her was to remove her memories. Or she had to face it.
He wanted to ask her to stay, but if she said no, his heart would tear in half. Again.
The darkness within him was sitting in his mental waiting room just tapping its feet, grinning sadistically at him. Brayden wasn’t a pussy; he would hold back that motherfucker until he’d gotten his brother and the queen home safely. Then with his newfound fury, he’d take his vengeance out on the Russos, who had infiltrated his family and poisoned his brother.
He stared at the glistening green eyes waiting for him to respond.
Fuck, Brayden, get your shit together.
He needed to man up. He was a goddam alpha vampire. Was he not capable of growing a bigger pair of balls and risk breaking the rest of his shattered heart? Was she not worth it? The fuck she wasn’t! If he lost this female because he didn’t have the resilience or strength to ask her one more goddamn time, then he’d regret it for the rest of his life.
And it would be a long fucking life.
“Come home with me, Willow. Give me a week, another damn week, to show you who I truly am. To show you my life, what an immortal world could mean for you, and then you can decide.”
She stared at him, eyes still dripping tears, fear pouring from them.
“I promise you, on my life, you will be safe. Nothing will happen to you, and if you still want to return to your human life, I will take you home.”
“All right. I’ll go. I’m so scared, Brayden.” She gulped through the tears.
His eyes burst open in surprise, then pulled her into his arms and squeezed his eyes shut.
“Thank you, sweetheart. My God, thank you. I know you are and I’m going to do everything in my power to support you through this.”
Now he had the biggest job of his life: convincing her to accept his world and become a vampire.
Shit.
He released her, kissed her nose, and stared into those beautiful green eyes. “Get dressed. We’re going to have company in thirty seconds.”
